We're working on comparative and superlative adjectives. Superlative adjectives are when you're comparing one thing to ALL THE THINGS. It's largest, tallest, shortest. But what if you're just comparing two things? Then you need the comparative adjective. It's larger, taller shorter.

We're also working on subject/verb agreement, including the funky, funky verb to be. Students don't recognize to be as a verb, because they've been taught that verbs are action words. To be is a verb, though. It's a verb that shows a state of being, and it's critical that the subject and verb agree.

Today students completed their second read for Act 2. They have two things to focus on for this second read. One focus is pretty much the same as for the second read of Act 1--to see how the mood and character's actions progress. After the close read of the stage directions of the beginning of both Act 1 and Act 2, it's clear that the characters have become suspicious and are targeting one character in particular--Les. But after that, how does their suspicion escalate?

The second focus is where the rising action ends and the climax begins. I reminded students that Act 2 picks up in the rising action. We reviewed the definitions of rising action and climax and the connection to conflict. The conflict is the problem. The problem builds and becomes more complicated in rising action. Characters work to solve the problem in the rising action. The climax is the turning point, where there is a solution to the conflict. Things shouldn't escalate after the climax, because there's a solution. Or, we realize that there isn't a solution.

Students used their highlighter tape and Plot Analysis Diagram again to complete those two tasks--tracing the progression of mood and targeting of characters and where the climax is.

After students finished reading Act 2, they worked in depth with their plot diagrams. As an exit ticket, I asked them to turn in the plot diagrams and to write down what they thought the climax was. Those climax exit tickets would become the basis of our fishbowl discussion for conflict and climax the next day.

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Big Idea:
Students receive a letter asking them to submit a manuscript for a new children's book about cell organelle. Using analogies, students will compare the cell to a system using analogies, original art work and 3-D models.